Sol said:
...sewage treatment plants and old landfill sites will be the last, self sustaining, bastions of civilization...
...which, respectively, need electricity and vehicles pumping and hauling "fuel" to them.
On a similar topic, I've always wondered if their is enough electrolytic charge in common seawater to where I could run a long wire to something on land that's separated from the ocean that has a significant difference in potential. Hence: I run a DC motor off the current that would flow through this wire. I know there are free electrons in magma, but there may be some sort of alkaline lakes or acid lakes or geological whatnot that I can pound a 1 km copper rod into or put conducting plates into (or something of the like).
Basically, I'm looking for electrolytic potential. We already know about mechanical potential in waterfalls, tidal pools, wind pressure. etc. Man, if I could only come up with an electrical generator that could harnesses continental drift, I could make billions of dollars! Then, I could probably afford to get one of those plexiglass Raptors and have it outfitted with internal LED lighting!! OK, *now* I'm inspired to take it to the next level!!!!!